The famous Korac Cup trophy that had previously been awarded to the winners of the European competition for clubs appropriately named Korac Cup between 1972 and 2002, is in Serbia.

The trophy, which was presented by the Serbian Federation at a press-conference in sports hall "Cair" in Nis on Saturday, will be awarded to the winner of the Serbian National Cup Radivoj Korac, starting next season.

FIBA Europe supported an idea by the Basketball Federation of Serbia to continue the legacy of the Korac Cup through the country's own National Cup competition and has given permission to them to create a replica before returning the original to the FIBA Europe archives in Munich.

The first time the winner of the Radivoj Korac Cup will lift the historic trophy will be next year in Kragujevac.

In over three decades of the Korac Cup the trophy was won by a single Serbian club (Partizan in 1978, 1979, and 1989) but other former Yugoslavian teams (Lokomotiva Zagreb in 1972 and Jugoplastika 1976, 1977) had also managed to lift it.

„Our wishes have come true and Serbian clubs will again have the opportunity to bring this valuable trophy to their premises, thus keeping the memory of the outstanding basketball player, Radivoj Korac alive," commented Dejan Tomasevic, Vice-president of the Serbian Federation.

„We are very grateful to FIBA Europe and its Secretary general Nar Zanolin for their help in realising this idea. It is our wish to invite Mr Zanolin at the Cup finals next year."

In the presenting panel there were also Partizan Belgrade coach, Vlada Jovanovic and his Hemofarm counterpart, Nebojsa Bogavac as well as the President of the National Cup's Local Organising Committee in Nis, Zoran Zivkovic.

FIBA initiated the Korac Cup back in 1971, in Radivoj Korac's honour. Eighteen clubs have won the trophy during its 30-year history, with the Italians of Pallacanestro Cantu having won four of those titles (1973, 1974, 1975 and 1991), more than any other club.